It's not easy to name the Tennessee Titans' three tight ends. For the average football fan, it's not easy to name even one of them. However, Tennessee's trio quietly led the NFL last season for combined receptions by a group of tight ends all on one team. Erron Kinney, Ben Troupe and Bo Scaife combined for a whopping 4 Brett Favre Purple jersey
147 catches in 2005, which averages out to exactly 49 receptions per player. With Billy Volek set to take the reins from Steve McNair at the quarterback position this upcoming season, the triumvirate will likely remain as important as they were last season.None of the Titans' tight ends are ostentatious or vocal, but they manage to get the job done with great production.The first piece of the puzzle is the veteran Kinney, who hauled in 55 catches for 543 yards last season. Although he only averaged 9.9 yards per reception, Kinney was a tremendous short-yardage target for both McNair and Volek in '05. As evidenced from his two touchdowns, he's not dependable as a red zone target. The 28-year-old's longest reception was only 27 yards last year, so he's not the type of athlete who can stretch the field and scare opposing defenses, a la Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez. However, for dependable tight ends that can be counted on for short, steady gains, Kinney takes the cake.Second in command for the Titans' threesome of tight ends is third-year man Ben Troupe, who has 88 catches in his first two seasons. The former Florida star, who was a second-round pick in 2004's draft, matched Kinney last season with 55 receptions. The 270-pound Troupe averaged 9.6 yards per catch, which was just shy of Kinney, but he doubled the veteran's touchdown production with four. Much like Kinney, Troupe's a trustworthy target who can be counted on in Norm Chow's short passing offense. Fortunately for the Titans, Troupe's the team's most adept red zone target and is also a legitimate big play threat.The third man for Tennessee is Scaife, who impressed as a rookie last season with 37 receptions. The ex-Texas standout started in five games, but appeared in all 16. The fact that he averaged under 7.5 yards per catch demonstrates just how conservative the Titans' offensive gameplan is. It tends to rely more on receivers for deep plays, while using the three tight ends as short-yardage security blankets when the quarterback is in trouble, or the Titans just need a few yards for a first down.Much like Kinney, Scaife had two touchdown receptions last season. However, his longest catch as a rookie was just 19 yards. For the ex-sixth-rounder, the '05 season was a great success. Without question, it seems as if he has a great future in front of him as a member of the Titans' short-yardage aerial attack.Next season, this trio will continue to be leaned on heavily for the Steelers 36 Bettis Jersey
Tennessee Titans offense, which finished last season ranked 17th in yardage. As these tight ends would say, they aren't supposed to be contributing big gains. Instead, their intention is to serve as soft-handed behemoths who can consistently keep their quarterback happy.--Connor J
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